Don't know about the West Coast, but out East, there's lot's of places they give a discount for members, from fuel, to dockage, to parts, plus you need it for TowBoatUS.

 

I use it for discounts in marinas, not towing. I figure that if if it's windy, I'm sailing and don't need/want a tow, if I'm motoring and the engine breaks and no wind, I can either anchor & fix whatever is wrong or secure my dinghy alongside and use it's engine to power me in or wait it out for a little wind. The towing option from Towboat US only pays for the first $50 of the towing bill, which would only be a minuscule part of the total bill unless you opt for the expensive version of the insurance.
Edit: If you have a powerboat, I would say get the high dollar option that would pay 100% of a tow.

 

We have BoatUS unlimited towing. It paid for itself for the next five years with just one tow.

 

Yep, same here. I would not be without this fairly reasonable insurance. I also like some of the discounts.

 

Boat U.S. has always seemed worth it to me. Their member publication/magazine is well written. The discount at West Marine help takes some of the sting out. I get my boat insurance through them and although I've not used it (they changed carriers/underwriter recently) the customer service is great. I get the tow insurance which is bargain for the peace of mind it offers. They understand boaters.

 

It's worth the investment in having an advocate for the industry/sport. The occasional discounts may or may make it pay. Towing insurance, which is available from various carriers, is pretty important, IMO.

 

Didn't Boat US buy up West Marine some years ago? Members Save Money at West Marine - Membership - BoatUS

My AMICA insurance comes with unlimited towing. In 38 years on this boat, I have never needed a tow. I've had engine problems three times, sailed into the slip each time, single handed. Ran aground four times, each time was able to free myself...3.5' draft.

 

Didn't Boat US buy up West Marine some years ago?......

West Marine is a publicly owned company. Its trades on NASDAQ under the symbol WMAR. They've done very well over the past 5 years, although, are struggling a bit in the current year. Still, while the loudest web foes say they would never go there, WM just kept on marching up the hill. They were doing something right.

Anyway, to your point, I believe WM purchased the BoatUS retail stores about a decade ago. I do not think the trade association and towing company are related to WM. I'm not certain about that, however.

 

I have BoatUs Membership. I save 10% off of my slip each month. This amounts to $36.00 and I carry its tow insurance. I saw a 55 foot cabin cruiser in the Gulf Stream with the engines down and a medical emergency. The Coast Guard stood by until a tow boat arrived to tow the cabin cruiser back to Florida. The cruise liner we were on brought board the medical emergency and the on board doctor examined the person and then the ship transported them to Nassau. Yea for Carnival Cruise Lines and any other ship on the high seas that render assistance to boaters.

Dot and John

 

800-395-2628
boatus.com/membership
Special Offer Code HQ102T
$19.00 instead of $25.00, when joining ONLINE.

From their "BoatUS Guide to Marine Service" which is still online as a PDF file, although dated "Rev.12/06, TS007"

If the special offer code doesn't work...maybe they'd honor it if you mention it still is online. (Let us know.)

 

Nope, the special offer code is no longer valid...

 

If your coastal sailor, by all means get the premium package, less than $100 a year. If your a lake sailor, I wouldn't sweat it. A tow, jump start, grounding or anything could cost you in the thousands without it. Its good peace of mind.

 

Even as a professional mariner, I've always carried the towing insurance from Boat US, since it became available. The CG will assist as far as lifesaving goes, but they will not tow or make much of an effort to actually save the boat.
Unless you are 100% positive you will never need it, it is the cheapest insurance policy on the market.
Only a fool would take a keel boat (or a motor boat of any size) out for a day, where a towing service is available, without a membership.

 

Wonder if they tow out here? Any AK folks know? Something tells me they ain't coming to get me in Port Nelle Juan!

 

Nope, they won't do squat - we've already consulted them on boat and tow insurance a year or so ago - we're on our own up here.

 

Why do you need the membership? I have never seen you or your boat out of the slip.....LOL

 

Hahaha...that's about to change, mi amigo. I pick up my brand new outboard tomorrow after work....and, anytime you want to go out, let me know. I'll crew for you if you'll crew for me when I need it.

 

If you sail or cruise down the ICW, having a towing membership with Seatow or Towboat US is essential.

The ICW markers are poorly maintained, in some areas locals are putting out floating buoys to mark the real channel. In others, dredging has not been done in years and the channel at low tide is very narrow. Just about everywhere I've been, the markers are scattered around to the point of being near useless and the channel on the chart weaves around in unmarked turns and weaves.

In other words, you will run aground at some point if you are in the ditch for any period of time. Our last ungrounding would have cost $1100, but our $180 (?) in Towboat US subscription covered it. In that case, the money was the difference between sleeping in the marina and eating a nice breakfast and standing watch for 6 hours with the boat heeled over while we waited for the tide.

They are also invaluable sources of information when navigating tricky inlets. A 5 minute call gets you local knowledge and hazards. I've even had them offer to escort me through.

 

My Amazon Prime expired yesterday. That's $99 to re-up, or $24 for peace of mind when I'm out on the water....

 

totally worth it paid $55 for it last year .Had my friends boat towed (under my account)while I was on it , no questions asked. And they brought me fuel when I ran out . pretty good deal when you consider that they charge $250 an hour unless it's dark and then it goes to 300.

 

Very much worth it. West Marine discounts, towing discounts, sport advocacy, etc. Go for it!

 

Well I stopped my membership as there wasn't any discounts in the area. The towing insurance compared to my regular insurance deductible just wasn't worth having. I guess the whole thing depends on how often you are planning to go aground

 

....The towing insurance compared to my regular insurance deductible just wasn't worth having.....

I've never seen tow coverage in a regular insurance policy that was very helpful. What exact terms do you have? Mine only provides a maximum, under certain circumstances and within limited range. Somewhat useless compared to BoatUS, which will even bring you fuel if necessary.

 

when we picked up our new old cal 28 in long beach and moved it to CI we had a number of issues due to the boat having not been sailed for 10 yrs. but it had to be moved. I was grateful to have the boatus membership as we had to get towed the last 8 miles.

 

AMICA yacht policy. It provides unlimited towing in US waters. The towing is a "no additional charge" included policy feature and doesn't limit you to any specific tow provider.

 

Does your insurance carrier pay the tower for you, or do you pay and apply for reimbursement?

 

I have a BoatUS membership and I think it is worth it just to have a voice on Capitol Hill.

The discounts are nice and their SeaWorthy news letter is great; I always learn something.

+1 also for their towing coverage and the tow boat operators themselves. I picked a pot line up in my propeller at the mouth of the harbor. They were there in about 35 minutes and towed me four miles to my mooring.

The invoice said "1.5h @ $180/hr = $270" and "Balance billed to boater = $0". I like that!

 

The invoice said "1.5h @ $180/hr = $270" and "Balance billed to boater = $0".

I'm taking the gamble that is cheaper to self insure on tow insurance. That is less than two years of BoatUS membership ($150/year since my boat is on salt water), and I've been a boat owner for 3 years without a tow. Someday my card will come up (just as it has on car ownership), but I think I'll be ahead by self insuring on towing.

 

I suspect to have local tow coverage, the operator needs a sufficient number of responses to make it economical. The TowBoat US guys that I know on the Bay get 900 calls per summer. I'm going to bet that's upwards of a grand per call, with a few salvages thrown in. That's economical.

I saw SeaTow for the first time this past weekend. I wonder if they just started ops or I've just coincidentally missed them for years. However, the TowBoatUS boats are custom tow boats, surrounded by an inflatable hull, with two 400 hp inboards and a massive tow bollard. The SeaTow ship was an ordinary center console fishing style boat that needed fenders to hip tow their client. The rod holders were even installed, although, it did have the SeaTow logo all over it.

 

I suspect to have local tow coverage, the operator needs a sufficient number of responses to make it economical. The TowBoat US guys that I know on the Bay get 900 calls per summer. I'm going to bet that's upwards of a grand per call, with a few salvages thrown in. That's economical.

I saw SeaTow for the first time this past weekend. I wonder if they just started ops or I've just coincidentally missed them for years. However, the TowBoatUS boats are custom tow boats, surrounded by an inflatable hull, with two 400 hp inboards and a massive tow bollard. The SeaTow ship was an ordinary center console fishing style boat that needed fenders to hip tow their client. The rod holders were even installed, although, it did have the SeaTow logo all over it.

It all depends on the area you are in. I think the nearest TowBoatUS is over 60 miles from me, yet there are three Sea Tow boats within 20 miles. What do you think the wait time is going to be for the TowBoatUS? I have heard that wen busy they basically say they can't make it. The SeaTow boats by me are very similar to the TowBoatUS, just yellow.

 

Rates would be much higher here and times are very likely to be longer. Time is billed from two slip to the vessels to the vessels slip back to the tow slip.

Beyond towing, things like soft groundings can get very expensive without insurance. On the other hand, I do not believe hard groundings are covered and fall under salvage laws.

 

Well worth the ~$60 dollars or so here on the Great Lakes just for the unlimited towing. We've used it twice in the last 8 years and saved close to $4k in towing expenses.

 

My buddy got towed off a rock in Lake Ontario 2 years ago.....no tow insurance. No damage to his boat!

The bill was $12,000......that's 12k; he cried. Took them 20 minutes to pull him off.

We both have BoatUS insurance now, unlimited.

It's worth it. It only takes once.

 

BoatUS insurance doesn't cover a hard grounding, so it wouldn't have covered your buddy anyway.